This patent is directed to a vibratory apparatus and related methods, and, in particular, to a fluid-cooled vibratory apparatus and a method for cooling.
It is known in the art to provide a trough to guide a material between two points, and to cool the trough by passing a coolant, such as water, through the trough. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,995 illustrates one such trough. Molten material, such as molten slag, moves from an elevated feed point to a lower discharge point along the trough under the force of gravity. Water is passed through a coolant guide disposed below the trough, from the feed end of the trough to the discharge end of the trough, and then back from the discharge end to the feed end. Great emphasis is placed in '995 patent on the use of copper for the trough, with the suggestion made that use of steel in such an application is a “technical felony.”
It is also known to provide a trough to guide dross between two points in small amounts using a vibratory apparatus. The trough of the vibratory apparatus may be water-cooled by joining a plate to the trough to define a space adjacent to a surface of the trough, and then passing water through the space. Like the '995 patent, this trough is made of copper. Unlike the '995 patent, the velocity of the water through the space is significantly lower. Such a device was not considered appropriate for use in an application where a greater heat load would be experienced by the trough, either because a different material was to be transported along the trough or a greater volume of material was to be transported, or both.